My Film Scanning Setup

I will start by saying that I have very little experience as a film photographer. I've already hinted at this in my previous posts. When I was dropping my first few rolls of film at a lab for development, I didn't know what would be the most suitable for me in terms of browsing and editing the images. Initially, I just ordered 10x15 cm prints. Then, I thought high-quality 25 MP scans in TIFF format would be the best choice, but these were massive in terms of disc space and also fairly expensive. 6 MP jpegs were a cheaper option but the resolution was just not there.

Film Scanners

I started researching the idea of home scanning my negs. A film scanner is a specialised tool that I just didn't feel like getting. Regardless of the format, whether it's a flatbed or not, a scanner of any acceptable quality meant two things:

• a non-negligible monetary investment,
• a more or less clunky gadget on my desk (or in my closet) that is good only for a specific task that I wouldn't perform very often.

Sadly, even some of the recommended modern scanners don't exactly have the resolving power to do justice to 35 mm film. Also, most are limited to 35 mm film only, which would deter me from trying 120 film format in the future. I quickly ditched the idea of buying a film scanner and instead investigated the possibility of scanning using my camera.

DSLR Scanning

It really should be called "camera scanning" since a mirrorless does the same, if not an even better job. Still, many online sources and YouTube videos refer to using a camera as a film scanner as "DSLR scanning".

Naming aside, the idea is to take a picture of an image on the negative. This of course requires a camera able to resolve the detail on the neg. Furthermore, a macro (or near-macro) lens is also crucial since the goal is to transfer a 35 mm format image onto a 35 mm format sensor. A light source is needed as well, and a competent one at that. A CRI of >95 is crucial for good colour representation. A consistent brightness across the light source's surface also helps. Finally, the film needs to be held perfectly flat, so a film holder of some sort is also a necessity.

Camera Body

Some YouTube videos hinted at the 35 mm film being able to deliver 12 MP images reliably, with negligible benefits at higher resolutions. I assume this is heavily dependent on the film stock used as different ones have varying grain sizes. Let's say around 20 MP is the size I currently need. This means any camera body with a 20+ MP sensor will be able to serve as my scanning tool. If I ever need to scan medium-format film, I will need more megapixels. My camera delivers 45 MP. That's plenty, at least for now.

A macro setup also requires a tripod, obviously, but I have one as well.

Lens

On a full-frame camera, scanning 35 mm film requires getting close to a 1:1 reproduction ratio. Crop sensors are more forgiving in this regard, but a macro lens will still likely be needed. One can get away with a regular lens and some extension tubes but it's not an ideal solution.

Non-macro lenses, for instance, your everyday nifty fifty workhorses, can certainly produce exceptionally good results, however, at macro distances, their field curvature is very noticeable. In simple terms, this means that the area that's in focus isn't a flat plane, but rather a section of a sphere, with the corners bent inwards. Given that we're dealing with a flat piece of negative, the field curvature can and most definitely will impact the sharpness in the scanned image corners.

A macro lens is usually designed to have a negligible, if not non-existent, field curvature. I am a happy owner of two modern macro lenses so I can check this box as well without additional investment. So far so good.

Light Source and Film Holder

This is where things get tricky. There are a multitude of solutions available, from placing the negative on a window or a phone screen to more or less advanced dedicated film holders and LED backlight solutions. I tried out two of these.

The first one was a budget-friendly option: the JJC FDA-LED1, a kit that includes an LED light and a sandwich-style film holder that can be mounted to it. The holder fits a strip of film with six images so to scan an entire neg, it needs to be "reloaded" six or seven times (assuming the film is cut in strips of 6). The light is dimmable (I won't even try to guess the purpose of this feature) and can be mounted to a tripod using a 1/4" thread or simply placed on the desk.

This setup worked but it had issues. First, the light source has an undisclosed CRI, leading me to suspect it's under 95. Second, the sandwich-style film holder is fiddly and reloading the film is frustrating. Also, the holder's frames don't match with the frames on the neg exactly. Third, aligning the lens with the film's surface is very, very tricky. Fourth, removing dust from the neg is a chore. Finally, medium-format scanning is impossible with this tool.

I kept looking and noticed that the Valoi 360 system was lauded all over the internet. I decided to give it a shot, or at least a poor man's version of it. I ordered the 35 mm holder along with the CineStill CS-Lite LCD panel, both from the Finnish KameraStore. This, as far as I understood, was the bare minimum to scan negs at home.

I intentionally omitted some other equipment that the Valoi 360 system included: the film advancer, the film duster, the levelling mirror and the CS-Lite adapter. The complete kit would have made film scanning super comfortable but the price was outrageous, at least given the budget I was prepared to dedicate to it.

The CS-Lite panel comes with a few masks that can easily accommodate Valoi's film holders. The film needs to be advanced manually and I also need to clean any dust that might be present on the neg. I happen to have a DIY solution for that. More on dusting the film later.

Additional Gear

The first thing I needed to get was some cotton gloves. They're needed to handle the neg without leaving fingerprints all over it. I've also noticed that breathing on the film and running it between my fingers while wearing gloves can remove dirt that might be stuck to the neg. I don't think this is the norm but one of my negs came back rather filthy from the lab.

I also needed a small mirror. Valoi offers an alignment mirror for dirt cheap but let's be honest here: anyone who knows a woman can get hold of a small mirror. I asked my wife for an old or used-up makeup set. These usually include small mirrors. So, my alignment mirror is in reality a detached top lid of a makeup set that cost me exactly zero. Free is a fair price, don't you agree?

In case you're wondering what the alignment mirror is for, let me briefly explain. The lens needs to be exactly perpendicular to the film plane, otherwise, the plane of focus will not be aligned with the neg, resulting in one part of the image being in focus and the rest being blurry. To align the lens, I place the mirror on top of the film holder and make sure that the centre focus field is exactly on the lens aperture reflected in the mirror. A simple yet effective solution.

Finally, I use a microfibre cloth and a kirby grip to dust my film. All I need to do is wrap the cloth around the film in front of the entrance to the film holder and fit a kirby grip around it. As I advance the film, it passes through the tightened cloth, automatically removing all dust for me.

Additional Considerations

Given that my setup is a poor man's version of the Valoi 360 system, its moving parts can mess things up. The LED backlight sits on a flat desk, but it can move around as I handle the film. The film holder is likewise not fitted to anything and I wiggle it with every frame I scan. This makes it difficult to work with manual focus lenses. At macro distances, the in-focus part of the image is razor-thin. If the film's distance from the lens changes by just a fraction of a millimetre, the image becomes noticeably softer. It's a good idea to reacquire focus separately for every frame. With a manual focus lens, it's a nuisance. Therefore, I am glad my other macro lens is an autofocus one. I highly recommend using one, if at all possible.

The film is not the only thing that can move; the camera can as well. Refocusing is one thing, but there's also the shutter release button. I highly recommend tethering the camera to a laptop or at least using a remote shutter release, regardless of whether it's a cordless solution or not. Anything's good if it eliminates the need to ever touch the camera.

Also, while it may sound silly, I do not recommend placing the tripod on laminate or vinyl flooring. Wooden boards are not ideal either. While things may look stable to the human eye, at macro distances, even the tiniest movements translate to a lot of shake and a potentially blurry image. Tiles are probably the best solution as they will not make the tripod or desk move as you move and balance your weight on your feet or chair.

Finally, it is worth remembering that scanning involves two actions: acquiring the images from the neg and then converting them to positives. The latter can be done using a range of software. I happen to use Filmomat SmartConvert, but this is by no means a recommendation. Use whatever you have at your disposal (or can afford, as these mostly aren't free).

Complete Setup

Here's my complete setup:

• Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera mounted to a tripod and tethered to my laptop
• Nikkor Z MC 105/2.8 S lens
• CineStill CS-Lite LCD panel
• Valoi 35 mm film holder
• microfibre cloth + kirby grip DIY duster
• makeup kit mirror for lens alignment